An electronic inhalation device comprising a mouthpiece and a control unit, the control unit comprising a power cell and a computer, where the computer comprises a computer processor, a memory and an input-output means; wherein the device further comprises a transmitter connected to the computer and the computer is configured in use to collect and store use data relating to a user's use of the device in the computer memory and transmit the use data.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An electronic inhalation device comprising: a mouthpiece; a control unit comprising a power cell and a computer, the computer including a computer processor, a memory and an input-output; and a transmitter connected to the computer, wherein the computer is configured to, in use: collect and store use data relating to a use of the device by a user in the computer memory, and transmit the use data, wherein the use data comprises at least one of: an inhalation count, and the inhalation count is a count of a number of inhalations a user has taken on the electronic inhalation device, an average inhalation time, and the average inhalation time is a mean average of inhalations counted in the inhalation count, or a session count, and the session count is a count of a number of inhalation sessions.
2. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic inhalation device is an electronic cigarette.
3. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1 , wherein the computer is a microcontroller.
4. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1 , wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the use data wirelessly.
5. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1 , wherein the transmitter is an audio transmitter configured to transmit the use data by sound.
6. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1 , wherein an inhalation session ends when the electronic inhalation device is inactive for a predetermined inactivity time following inhalation on the electronic inhalation device.
7. The electronic inhalation device of, claim 1 , wherein the use data is optimized for transmission by sound.
8. The electronic inhalation device of, claim 1 , wherein the use data includes at least one of: header data at a start of the data to indicate the start of the data; footer data at an end of the data to indicate the end of the data; or configuration data towards the start of the data to indicate how the data is configured for transmission.
9. The electronic inhalation device of claim 8 , wherein the configuration data indicates at least one of: a data transmission frequency range; a data transmission duration; or an intensity of the data transmission.
10. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1 , wherein the use data comprises details of individual inhalation events.
11. The electronic inhalation device of claim 10 , wherein details of individual inhalation events include at least one of: a date and time of each inhalation; or a duration of each inhalation.
12. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1 , wherein the computer is configured to transmit a first transmission version of the use data and a second transmission version of the use data successively.
13. The electronic inhalation device of claim 12 , wherein the first transmission version is substantially the same as the second transmission version.
14. The electronic inhalation device of claim 12 , wherein the first transmission version and the second transmission version each has at least one of: a different frequency range; a different duration; or a different signal intensity.
15. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1 , wherein the computer is configured, in use, to do at least one of: transmit three or more transmission versions of the use data successively; transmit the use data repeatedly; transmit the use data at a frequency substantially above a frequency range of typical background noise; or transmit the use data at a frequency substantially above the human hearing frequency range.
16. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1 , wherein the computer is configured to clear the use data from the memory after transmission.
17. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1 , wherein the computer is configured to clear the use data from the memory when controlled to do so by the user.
18. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic inhalation device further comprises a pressure sensor connected to the computer.
19. The electronic inhalation device of claim 18 , wherein the computer is configured, in use, to transmit the use data when the pressure sensor detects at least one of: operation of the electronic inhalation device outside of normal use; blowing into the electronic inhalation device; sucking on the electronic inhalation device; one or more short bursts of blowing into the electronic inhalation device; or one or more short bursts of sucking on the electronic inhalation device.
20. The electronic inhalation device of claim 18 , wherein the computer is further configured to operate in a menu mode, and the pressure sensor is configured to activate the menu mode and select a menu option that starts transmission of the use data.
21. The electronic inhalation device of claim 20 , wherein the computer is further configured to clear the use data from the memory when at least one of: a user selects a clear memory menu option; or the menu mode is exited.
22. The electronic inhalation device of claim 20 , wherein the computer is configured, in use, to notify the user by sound of at least one of: when the electronic inhalation device has entered the menu mode, prior to transmission of the use data, when the transmission of the use data is underway, when the transmission of the use data is complete, when the transmission of the use data has been successfully received, or when the transmission of the use data has not been successfully received.
23. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1 , wherein the computer is further configured, in use, to notify the user by sound when the use data has been cleared from the computer memory.
24. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic inhalation device further comprises a microphone connected to the computer.
25. The electronic inhalation device of claim 24 , wherein the computer is further configured to at least one of: determine a background noise using the microphone and to transmit the use data so as to substantially avoid the background noise; start transmission when a start signal is received by the microphone; end transmission when an end signal is received by the microphone; retransmit the use data when a fail signal is received by the microphone; or clear the use data from the memory when a clear signal is received by the microphone.
26. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic inhalation device further comprises a mouthpiece end and a tip end, and the transmitter is located at the tip end.
27. The electronic inhalation device of claim 26 , wherein the transmitter is configured such that, in use, the use data is transmitted out of the tip end.
28. The electronic inhalation device of claim 26 , wherein the electronic inhalation device comprises a longitudinal central axis and the transmitter is configured such that, in use, the use data is transmitted substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and out from the tip end.
29. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1 , wherein the transmitter is a speaker.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
June 27, 2019
December 29, 2020
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